


Fields of Fangs & Claws

by KiltedGuy



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Apocalypse, Survival, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:41:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26694697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiltedGuy/pseuds/KiltedGuy
Summary: Five years ago, an unknown, and possibly genetically modified, strain of Rabies broke out in several locations around the globe. One of those being Zootopia.The survivors now cling to the edge, out of reach, relying on the brave and suicidal to venture into the occupied lands for supplies.Just, however, is growing tired of the constant supply rubs for worthless luxuries like wine and birth control while the Predator survivors lay abandoned...
Relationships: Finnick/Judy Hopps, Finnick/Nick Wilde, Finnick/Nick Wilde/Judy Hopps, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Fields of Fangs & Claws

**Author's Note:**

> Had this idea floating in my head for a while, and since Halloween is just around the corner... enjoy!

The pharmacy was too tempting a target to pass up. The windows had been hastily boarded up from the outside, and they and the door looked untouched. The back was an unknown, but if it happened to pay out...

Nick, unsurprisingly, was less likely to go around poking their noses around needlessly, always saying that’s how they’ll end up bitten off. Even so, he had gotten on his knees quick enough, lockpicks already probing at the padlock’s interior, trusting Judy to be his eyes and ears.

They worked well together, always had back when the living weren't at risk of the dead, sharing officer's blues and bad coffee together. Now was no different, even if their uniform was less formal and more practical. Judy, being the speedier of the two was more form fitting, less chance of tripping or being snagged by a lucky paw, her pack on quick release buckles over her chest. As her ears swiveled for the tell-tale moaning and laboured half breathing of the infected, eyes peering at shapes within the gloom of alleyways and under cars that could be debris or dormant lurkers, she rested her paw on the handle of her old railway spike, testing it's weight every so often to settle her nerves. It had served her well through the past few years, its heft comforting. With her size it was an easy matter to climb up the larger mammals and introduce the blunt, but still very much pointed, tip of the spike to their ear canal, disabling them swiftly, if not always silently depending on how heavily they hit the ground. Of the two of them, Judy was the speedy scout, mapping out paths and points of interest that might be with looting

Nick on the other hand preferred distance. His crossbow, almost constantly being tuned up and modified, was resting on the ground next to him as he worked the tumblers of the lock, his crowbar strapped into a specially made sheath on his pack. He was the entry specialist for two, meaning either picking locks or prying open doors when he wasn’t using the crowbar to cave in skulls. He also did most of the heavy lifting between the two, half heartedly grumbling about being a pack mule.

The metallic clink as the padlock sprung open was almost deafeningly loud in the silent street, the fox scowling as he carefully pulled it free from the latch and stuck it into his pocket. Judy didn’t begrudge him the extra weight; too many times had a spare padlock saved their lives by holding whatever horde they alerted at bay long enough for a head start.

Gripping his crossbow, he nodded at the bunny and took his position, loaded and ready to fire as she gripped the door handle, wincing at the squeaking of metal that hadn’t been moved in years. A shared glance and nod and Judy pushed the door in suddenly before leaping back, gripping the railway spike tightly.

Nothing lunged out for them from the shadowy interior. Nothing moaned out in alarm of warm, moving bodies. Nick remained as still as any statue could hope to be, only his trigger finger twitching slightly in anticipation. Ears swivelled and strained before, swallowing her heart back down, Judy relaxed her grip on the spike. Letting out a held breath, Nick eased his finger away from the trigger, grabbing one of the spare torches in his pockets.

“What are you even hoping to find in here? Everything will be years out of date at least...”

He sniffed the air deeply before stepping in behind a scampering Judy, relaxing at the stale scent of musty plaster and mildewed paper. No Rot. Despite himself, Nick gave a small grunt of grudging acknowledgement as he spied the practically full shelves of over the counter medication, the door leading to the harder prescription stuff laying tantalisingly close behind the counter.

Judy meanwhile was power walking own the various aisles, muttering away to herself as her fingers ran over the dusty labels. With a short, sharp gasp, she took a step back and grabbed a pill bottle, brushing the dust off with the back of her paw, before grinning and holding it up for the fox to see. 

Protein Supplement.

Despite himself, Nick gave a wide grin. Sure it was probably well out of date and supplements only took you so far, but for the carniverous population of Sanctuary they would be a welcome addition to their diet. Even so, the shelf didn't have many of the precious bottles, and without thinking his gaze was pulled back to the door behind the counter. Surely the stock that wouldn't have fit on the shelves would have been kept in some kind of storeroom...  
Judy smirked as she watched the wheels in the tod's head turn, pulling her pack round and starting to sweep armfuls of the bottles into what little space she had left, glancing over to ask if Nick had any space left in his for a bottle or two...

However, that meant she wasn't watching where she was directing the pills to, and one bottle slipped off the shelf to clatter onto the floor in a deafening cacophany of plastic on tile, the rattle of the pills inside adding further peal to the dinner bell being rung out loud. Instantly the two slid their hands to their weapons, ears up and alert, Judy holding her breath for several heartbeats before letting it slowly whoosh past her lips in a sigh of relief.  
"Sweet cheese an-"

**SLAM**

The door to the back rattled on it's hinges as something on the other side threw itself at the door, a deep, loud and long moan that echoed in their dreams on a nightly basis filled the air, echoing out into the street outside the open door and beyond. Heavy pounding added to the noise probably bringing every infected in a mile radius to their location, and with a heartfelt swear, the fox twisted to head back to the relative safety of the wide open streets, expecting his partner to be right at his side.  
"Nick, wait, we can- Nick get back here!"

She was slinging her bulging backpack back into place as Nick looked back over, hissing a few choice words before gripping his crowbar tighter, watching the hinges weaken with every collision. Wordlessly she gave him a firm glare before nodding at his pack and then back to the still mostly full shelf, giving him an urgent tilt to the head while doing so.  
"No, no way Carrots, this is far too risky, we gotta get going before we have a horde breathing down our backs and-"

"Ten seconds, then we run for it. Ten seconds to fill your bag as much as we can."

"Carrots you... Urgh! Ten seconds only!"

He knew better than to argue with a determined bunny, stuffing his crowbar back into place and lifting his crossbow, checking the string tension as he took up position next to her, feeling her fumble with the straps and start shifting it's contents around, packing as many of the pills into what little space remained, even going so far as to lift out a small bottle of wine the tod had managed to find and toss it to the side despite his protests, the crash of glass making whatever was on the other side of the door try harder to bulldoze it's way through, several dents weakening the metal door further.  
"That was a special request by the Council..."

"They can bill me! Alright, you're loaded up, lets move!"

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips even as he grinned, following the rabbit closely as they dashed out of the pharmacy, Nick pulling the door behind him, hand grasping the padlock from earlier. With practiced ease, he slid it into place, sealing up the door once more, jogging up to Judy as she walked backwards, staring at the little pill despensary they just evacuated.  
"Urgh, thats such a waste Nick... We could have taken whatever was in there..."

She looked less sure as several moans came from the alleys behind the pharmacy building, twisting round and jogging in time with Nick, hand never leaving her spike.  
"Not so much that as it's buddies on it's heels Carrots. C'mon, we're almost at the evac..."

The two set a decent pace as they headed for the outer limits of the outskirts of the little village they had chosen to scavange this week, giving the abandoned vehicles a wide berth after losing too many good friends during the first year to lurkers; those souls who had attempted to hide only to succumb to the infection and hadn't the motivation to drag themselves out unless prey happened to wander close by. Even as she past one van, Judy watched milky, dead eyes follow her, close enough to be noticed but too far to be worth attempting to catch. Giving a heartfelt shudder, she pushed herself a little harder, outpacing the fox behind her slightly.

The two began to slow as they came to the outer edge of the village, the remains of tarmac broken up and partially consumed by the reclaiming wilderness, Judy checking the nearest wall for their mark out of habit, a grim grin on her face as she found the sloppy outlines of fox and rabbit ears, an arrow pointing the way back to where their ticket to safety lay waiting. Hopefully waiting.  
Wordlessly she shrugged off her pack and set it next to Nick's kneeling form, ears flat against the back of her head as she crept up to the corner and peeked round, letting out several swears uner her breath. Shuffling backwards, she grabbed her pack again and held up three fingers to the waiting Fox who grimly nodded, clutching the stock of his crossbow tighter as he crept over to where Judy had just been.

In a small clearing just far enough from the buildings to give an uninterrupted 360 degree view sat an old van, paintwork faded and dirty but still recognisable as a dramatic rendering of one of those old sword and sorcery novel covers. Shuffling around aimlessly around were three... ex-mammals.

Doctors were in limited supply these days, and further still were those who were trained in the research side of things rather than popping as many pills down their patient's throats. So any explanations as to how a horse with half his neck missing, or a lynx shuffling through his own hanging intestines, were up and moving around were as much theory, superstition and conjecture rather than outright science. As for the deer with her face peeled off her eyeless skull to flop wetly against her chest, the least said the better. Carefully Nick pushed the tips of two bolts into the topsoil and braced himself, letting out a slow, steady breath and held it, taking aim.

Luckily for the living, the shambling corpses had a glaring weakness.

The bolt flew silently and embedded itself deeply into the skull of the horse, dropping bonelessly to the ground. The noise attracted the attention of the lynx, but he had barely began to turn round, shuffling slowly though his own intestines before he too ended up with a shaft protruding from the side of his head. The deer meanwhile was clacking her teeth together, empty sockets passing over Nick as it tried to make sense of the noises it was dimly able to register with it's ears facing towards her chest. Drawing the crossbow back once more, Nick loaded the last shaft and took aim, peering at the Bug Burger uniform she wore, complete with name tag.

"Sorry Stephanie..."

The third bolt sunk deep into an empty eyesocket and with a soft sigh the deer crumpled to the ground, finally still in the only true death that remained in the world. A few moments passed before Nick nodded and stood up, heading for the bodies, placing his metal covered foot onto the nearest corpse and yanking the bolt free.  
Judy meanwhile headed for the van, giving a cursorary glance underneath before carefully tapping a pattern onto the door.

Well oiled hinges swung as the occupant pushed the door open, shoulders slumping as the fennec lowered his chain wrapped baseball bat, rubbing at his face.

"Finally... Damn sacks of meat were shambling around for hours. C'mon, get yer pack off..."

Gratefully, she pulled the pack off and passed it up to the fennec, blinking as she felt something hit her foot. Glancing down, she grimaced and backed away from the van slowly, keeping an eye on the ground.

"You check your vents?"

"Only on a daily basis..."

Nick came up next to the van, snapping off his own set of packs, watching the twitching grass that followed Judy's foot until it ventured into a patch that was more tarmac than weeds. Near impossible to tell what it had been before, mouse, shrew, a very stunted rat... Now though it was just like the rest, a mindless entity driven by the need to consume anything living it came across. 

When little Rodentia fell, Zootopia was doomed. The all inclusive city had trams, tunnels, pneumatic tubes and more than allowed the micro mammals access to everywhere in the city. Even behind the barricades that stopped rampaging elephants and moose. By the time anyone realised the danger, the quarantine was broken, the city devolving into carnage and chaos.  
Metal protection from the knee down became a fact of life for the survivors after they got together and compared notes.

Grimacing, Judy stared at the thing that had once been a mammal. Thinking, talking, breathing. Someone just like her. Someone who was unluck enough to be caught. It grasped at the metal shoe, teeth cracking until the steel, and still it persisted. A combination of claw and finger bones tugging ineffectively at the seams and rivits. Uncaring as it mashed it's broken teeth into its own gums.

In the space of a heartbeat, Judy pulled her foot back and punted the creature back towards the village, Finnick giving a low snort of amusement at it collided heavily against an old billboard advertising a supermarket that's logo was a red dot in a red circle.

Giving herself a shake, she grabbed onto the van and hauled herself up, finding a space among the packs, boxes and crates that made up their latest expidition's haul, resting her back against strapped down containers. Nick was swiftly on her heels, pulling the doors shut behind him, feeling the van rumble into life as he hung his crossbow on its hooks.

Slowly, the adrenaline that kept the pair alert and focused bled out of their systems, the two of them slumping down until they were sitting opposite each other, legs pressed against each other’s, clinking together with the rattling of the van. Rummaging in his pack, Nick pulled out a half full water bottle, holding it out to his partner who took it with a grunt of gratitude, lifting his own in mock salute.

“To another successful raid.”

“To another day breathing.”

The two shared a humourless grin, tapping the bottles together lazily, quickly draining them as Finnick called out from the front.

“Speed bumps ahead!”

Judy grimaced as the first wet impact hit the van, the fennec letting out a demented cackle as the “speed bumps” were torn apart by the speeding van, parts getting lodged in the plough made of scrap bolted up front. Nick just gave an exasperated chuckle, rubbing his face tiredly.

“No harm done Carrots... Let him have his fun.”  
The wordless thought that came to the both of them echoed in their minds. Not much fun to be had these days.

“Gonna be about five hours to Sanctuary. Get some sleep, I’ll wake you if we have company.”

Nick obeyed almost immediately, arms folded as his body swayed along with the van, soft snoring announcing his escape from reality for a while. Judy envied the ease he had in dropping off, shifting herself until she was laying beside him, arm reaching over his torso. The faint scent of violet Fox was still there, underneath the grime and sweat and lingering hints of rot, but it still helped to settle her mind, allowing the past week to catch up and start demanding due payment. As her eyes began dropping of their own accord, she felt her Fox shift, an arm reaching round to her back and tugging her closer against him. Her last thoughts before slipping into oblivion...

They both **seriously** needed a shower.


End file.
